Court issues gag order on Morsi espionage trial

The Cairo Criminal Court on Tuesday issued a gag order on the trial of deposed president Mohamed Morsi and 35 other Muslim Brotherhood members accused of espionage, Al-Ahram reported.

The court also adjourned the trial to April 28, when it is scheduled to hear witnesses’ testimonies and review other evidence.

Morsi, along with 35 other defendants, faces charges of conspiring with foreign organizations to carry out terrorist acts in the country, revealing military secrets to foreign countries, conducting military training that aims to achieve the goals of the international Muslim Brotherhood organization, and committing acts that jeopardize the independence, unity and security of the nation.

The investigations concluded that the Muslim Brotherhood carried out terrorist acts in Egypt that aim to spread chaos, in collaboration with the Hamas movement in Gaza, the Lebanese Hezbollah and other groups.

Defense lawyer Mohamed al-Damaty requested that this trial be merged with the prison break case, in which Morsi is accused of escaping from Wadi al-Natrun prison during the 2011 revolution, since the court sessions are consecutive which causes the defendants and their lawyers to lose track of events.

During the court session, the court also reviewed the complaints of two defendants who claimed that they were assaulted in detention, but ruled that there are no marks on their bodies save for minor vertical marks on their backs.